It's a Magikal Life
by MikeJaffa
Summary: Rahne gets the "Wonderful Life" treatment, courtesy of an unlikely angel, Thanos. Spoilers for New Mutants: Dead Souls #2. Guest appearance by Doctor Strange, Thanos, and a whole lot of X-Men and New Mutants I have no desire to tag.
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: It's a Magikal Life  
AUTHOR: MikeJaffa  
SYNOPSIS: Rahne gets the "Wonderful Life" treatment, courtesy of an unlikely angel, Thanos. Spoilers for New Mutants: Dead Souls #2. Guest appearance by Doctor Strange, Thanos, and a whole lot of X-Men and New Mutants I have no desire to tag.  
DISCLAIMER: Marvel owns the characters, and I am making nothing off this fic.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Another author wrote how Rahne was less mean to Illyana after New Mutants 25. I decided to posit my own explanation for it. Enjoy.

8

8

Rahne hesitated at the entrance to the kitchen. It was 3 in the afternoon the day after the ordeal with Cloak and Dagger's powers, but Rahne was still in her night clothes. She had slept all day. She still had a headache and an upset stomach. She had only just now decided to come down to the kitchen but saw the witch—the demon—Rahne could no longer acknowledge the name "Illyana Rasputin"-sitting at the kitchen table wearing a blue robe over her shamefully revealing nightgown, and a pair of sunglasses. She had a glass of some noxious smelling fluid in front of her.

Rahne powered through her fear and her anger and crossed the refrigerator.

Illyana said, "What are you getting?"

She sounded exhausted, but Rahne couldn't spare that…that thing any compassion.

"What business is it of yours, witch?" Rahne spat.

"I'm responsible for you because I performed an exorcism on you," Illyana said, a little angry but still under control. "Your body is still recovering from channeling Dagger's energies and all the stress you were wonder. Water or apple juice would be best right now."

"I'll be having orange juice, thank you. Oh, and consider yourself relieved of all other responsibility for me."

Illyana looked away. "Excuse me for living."

"You can stop doing that, any time you like." Rahne poured herself some orange juice.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, witch. You want to pop off, don't let me stand in your way." She drank some of the juice.

"Fine! Fine! Whatever. If that's the thanks I get for being nice and trying to help, I won't bother anymore. But when you start retching your guts out, don't come whining to me."

"I won't-"

"Rahne." Professor X's voice sounded in her mind. "Would you please join me in my study?"

"Yes, Professor." She gulped down the rest of the juice, dropped the glass in the sink, and crossed the living room. As she got to the study, Roberto DaCosta came out, looking just as tired as she felt.

"Bobby, are you all right?"

He smiled. "Clean bill of health. But what got the professor so annoyed with you?"

"I guess he 'overheard' me telling off that witch."

Roberto's eyebrows arched. "And she let you out of there with your head?"

"Rahne," the professor's mental voice interrupted.

Bobby went upstairs and Rahne pushed open the big wooden door to the study. A man in a high-collared red cloak stood looking out the picture window. Was it Rahne's imagine, or was the cloak rustling as if there was a breeze? The professor sat at his desk facing her.

The professor said aloud, "Close the doors, Rahne."

Rahne obeyed.

"Rahne, I am very disappointed," the professor said. "The mission of this school is tolerance. If mutants are to peacefully coexist with humans, we must ourselves learn to be tolerant of-"

"With all due respect, Professor, this isn't a matter of tolerance. That witch—I will no longer use her name—is a demon. We saw it and felt it last night. She's evil. It's as simple as that. I've given her every chance, but…I can't do it anymore. I can't live under the same roof with her. I…I've made up my mind. I want to leave the school. Lady Moira is trying to adopt me. Soon as that's through, I'm gone."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Rahne. I will, of course, accede to your wishes and make the arrangements with Moira when the time comes. But at the moment, I would hope you would indulge one more exposure to magic."

"Magic?" she squeaked.

The cloaked man turned around. She saw he was bearded and wore what looked like a blue kung fu uniform with a large gold medallion on his collar. He smiled. "Hello, Rahne," he said. "I'm Doctor Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts."

"You're a witch!?" Rahne yelped.

"'Sorcerer Supreme of Earth' is a less pejorative term and—in my opinion-sounds cooler, but yes, I use magic."

"I'll not be having any more spells cast on me."

"I understand. Demonic magic can be…unsettling, but my magic derives from other sources. And I'm not going to cast a spell." He tapped the medallion. "I would like to use the Eye of Agamotto to make sure you are completely free of the Dagger energies that possessed you. Think of it as…Illyana was the ER doctor who treated your problem, and I'm the family doctor who's checking you the next day. You don't have to agree to this, and in all probability you're clear. But better safe than sorry."

Rahne shifter her weight, anxious. "No pentagrams?"

Strange chuckled. "No, no pentagrams."

"All right."

The medallion opened, and a golden eye floated out and affixed itself to Strange's forehead. "How many times have you seen her use pentagrams?" he asked (hoping that casual conversation would put Rahne at ease).

"What?" Rahne said. "Oh. Twice. The exorcism last night and what did she call it, astro projection spell."

"Astral projection," he corrected gently.

"What's a pentagram for anyway? I thought it was for summoning the devil."

"No, in those magical traditions, it protects the sorcerer in case anything goes wrong. It's supposed to, anyway."

"Huh. Maybe she's doing them wrong because both time-" Rahne broke off as she suddenly got more nauseous, felt dizzy, and her headache got worse.

"Uh-oh," Strange said as the eye returned to its medallion (which snapped shut). "What have you had to eat or drink?"

"Just some orange juice…" She started heaving.

"Charles!" Strange said as he hustled Rahne to the door. "Bathroom…thank you!"

Strange practically carried Rahne out into the living room, where Dani and Kitty turned at the commotion, but he made it two steps before Rahne fell to all fours and started retching.

"Don't fight it, Rahne," Strange advised. "It'll be worse if you fight it."

One more heave and orange fluid burst out of Rahne's mouth. On the floor it bubbled and started to move on its own. Eyes sprouted out of it.

Strange pulled her back away from the blob. Rahne heard Illyana shout, "I've got this!" Illyana charged past them and plunged the soulsword into the orange mass. It bubbled explosively before settling into an ordinary puddle of orange juice. "Residual ectoplasm," she panted. "I'll clean that up."

Holding Rahne, Strange said, "You did tell her not to-"

"I tried," Illyana said, "but of course she wouldn't listen to-"

Rahne shifted to half wolf. "Get off me!" she shouted as she leaped away from Strange. "Witches! Witches!" She glared at the other New Mutants and X-Men filing into the room in response to the commotion. "What's the matter with all of you? It's in the Bible! 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live'! But you all consort with witches and demons without a thought about your immortal souls, and I'm the bad person for saying anything?"

Dani said, "Rahne, calm down-"

"I'm done being calm!" Rahne shouted. "I'm done not saying anything. She's evil. She's the spawn of Satan. That's not me saying so. She admits it. She doesn't even hide it! And you're all damned to hell for consorting with her." She focused on Illyana. "You should have stayed in Limbo forever or let S'Ym kill you that time he came for you. I wish I'd never met you—no, scratch that, I wish you had never been born!"

Illyana took a menacing step forward. "You little—" she hefted her sword, "—after all I've done for this team-"

"Come on, witch!" Rahne screamed. "You and me! Let's settle this, once and for-"

"ENOUGH!" Professor X's voice thundered in her mind. "Rahne, return to human form. Now. I will not ask again."

"Professor." Rahne changed to human as Kitty came up behind Illyana and put her hands on the witch's shoulders, in part to comfort and part to hold her back.

Professor X had left his study and come over to the group. He kept his anger in check and his voice calm as he said aloud, "Rahne, you said some harsh things to Illyana. Would you care to apologize?"

"No," Rahne said, her voice shaking. "Not to her. Not now. Not ever."

"I see," the professor said. "Well, then, I've been patient with you for as long as I could, but now, you leave me no choice. You have expressed a desire to leave this academy. I see no reason to delay things. Miss Sinclair, as of this moment, you are expelled. The decision is irrevocable and final; you will never be readmitted. Please go to your room and start packing. You will leave in the Blackbird as soon as you are ready."

"Sir."

As she turned to head for the stairs, she heard Kitty say to Illyana, "No, she's not worth it. Come on, sport. Let's go back to our room." Rahne kept her head high and didn't look at anyone as she climbed the stairs, went down the hall, pushed open the door to her room…

…and found herself in a wide stone room with a large, circular pool in the middle of it. A huge man about the size of the Hulk in a blue and gold outfit with a purple, Skrull-like face stood by the pool.

He said, "Approach, Wolfsbane. No harm will come to you."


	2. Chapter 2

Rahne turned and looked behind her. The door she had come through was gone and she faced a blank stone wall.

She turned back to the purple man. She saw he wore one gold glove that had six gems embedded in it.

She said, "And who might you be?"

He smiled as if the question amused him. "I might be Thanos. Although strictly speaking, I might not. However, for convenience, you may address me as Thanos."

"Thanos…he—you fought the Avengers a while back. You wanted to blow up the universe or something. You can't be up to any good."

She changed to a wolf in a few steps and leaped at Thanos, but an eye blast vaporized her before she reached him.

"Consider this an object lesson," Thanos said. "I will not tolerate misbehavior." He snapped his fingers and Rahne reappeared in human form.

Rahne was shaken. "What happened?"

"I killed you and brought you back. I can do that or worse to you with the merest thought. Please do not test me. In your vernacular, I am way, way, way above your weight class. Behave yourself and we will conclude our business with a minimum of time and unpleasantness. I assure you, I harbor no ill will towards you or any of your teammates."

Rahne sat on the edge of the pool. A direct confrontation was out of the question, and she wasn't smart enough to come up with a strategy. So playing along with this Thanos was the best for now. "And what business would you have with someone whom you say is so far beneath you?"

"First, you must understand the context of our dealings," Thanos said. "I wear on my hand the Infinity Gauntlet. Each one of these gems controls an aspect of our actuality—time, space, reality, power, mind, and soul. In a few years, Thanos will be returned to life by Mistress Death and charged with restoring the astral ecological balance by slaughtering half the universe."

Rahne mouthed the words, 'half the universe.'

"Yes," Thanos said, "I see you have adopted the moralistic codes of most of your world's costumed adventurers. Feel proud of yourself learning their lessons so well. But as I said, after receiving his charge from Mistress Death, Thanos gathered the gems and created the Infinity Gauntlet. With these, Thanos gained total control over our reality, as I hope I have demonstrated."

"And started talking about himself in the third person?"

Thanos laughed. "Not quite, young one. When Thanos put on the gauntlet, he instantly learned he was destined to lose the gauntlet in a matter of hours thanks to the intervention of…interested parties, of which, I should add, you are not one. I know you are thinking you have a major part in the drama I am relating, but you do not. In any event, once Thanos learned he would lose the gauntlet, he decided to use it to gather as much knowledge as possible in the time he had. So unbeknownst to the other parties—and, ultimately, himself—he created avatars of himself armed with lesser copies of the Infinity Gauntlet to investigate matters that attracted his attention. I am one of those avatars, hence my earlier statement that though you may address me as Thanos, I am not he. I just want to make things less confusing."

"I see. And you came here because Thanos is interested in…me?"

"Not quite. The other avatars were sent to investigate specific matters, but I was created to look at things that might be put under the heading 'miscellaneous.' In other words, I would peruse space and time for anything that attracted my attention, investigate, and report back. And so I came here, to the Infinity Well, and after…achieving an understanding with Mistress Death, I performed my function. And in so doing, came across a minor mystery. It has no impact on the grand scheme of things, and yet I could not turn away. One of Thanos' flaws, and so, mine."

"And what is this mystery, Thanos?"

"You seem, at this moment, Wolfsbane, to be enmeshed in a tangle in time and space—the nexus of a confluence of timelines, yet I can not see the cause nor all of the possible outcomes."

"I thought that gauntlet let you see everything."

"Yet I cannot—another element of the mystery. Yet of one thing I am sure: The altercation you just had never happened."

"What do you mean it never happened?"

"I mean it never happened. I can find no sign of it beyond the tangle. I don't know what happened in its stead, yet I know the outcomes: You were not expelled from Xavier's school. You do return to Scotland, but to visit, not to stay. You remain with your team and at Xavier's. And your attitude towards your teammate, Magik…I suppose you could say it mellows."

"Mellows? About her? Are you daft?"

Thanos gestured to the pool. "See for yourself."

Rahne stood and looked into the pool. An image formed, an outdoor café in the summer. She saw people sitting around a table. One of them she recognized as herself, not much changed even if she was older. Two men in their twenties were sitting there, one with sunglasses propped on his forehead and the other had a star tattooed over one eye. The last person was a blonde woman. They had breakfast plates in front of them.

Thanos said, "This is from approximately ten years in your personal future. You will be part of a team that Magik leads."

Rahne gawked at the purple giant. "Wot!?"

"Attend."

Rahne turned to the pool and the image started moving. The Rahne in the image said, "Does Shatterstar not eat?"

The man with glasses replied, "Not often."

"Then why did we let him pick the restaurant, Julio?"

"He has weirdly strong feelings about the atmosphere at various brunch spots in this neighborhood."

"I do," said the tattooed man.

"Stop changing the subject, Rahne," Julio went on.

Image Rahne picked a piece of bacon off Julio's plate. "What do you want me to say? Is Illyana acting weird? No. She just is weird. She's always been weird." She ate the bacon.

"I'm not asking if she's weird," Julio said. "I know she's weird. (Why didn't you order bacon if you wanted it?)"

"I just wanted a piece," Image Rahne said as she chewed.

"What I'm asking is if you trust her." The image froze.

Thanos said, "And you didn't really answer the question."

"Ok, wait," Rahne, said, "you are saying that in ten years I'll be a member of team she leads? I can't stand her! Why would I follow her?"

"A question that in the years to come you will have your own answer to. This is from a few hours later."

The image shifted, and Rahne saw herself in half wolf form, a bit behind Illyana. Illyana had her soulsword out and was staring at something intently. Rahne was in a yellow and black uniform, and Illyana was wearing a hooded cloak. They were in a frozen wasteland.

Image Rahne said, "Illyana, please!"

"Go with them," Illyana said.

"There's nowhere to go here. We'll die without you. I said I'd follow you if you lead the team, but you have to be a leader now." The image froze.

Rahne turned to Thanos. "Seriously? That's why you think time is messed up? I'll tell you what the problem is, Thanos. This fountain isn't working right. The plumbing's all messed up. Because there is no way, actually no way, I would join up with her, much follow her like a puppy dog. Not going to happen. Never, ever, ever."

"Never is a long time, and for humans, a lot can happen in a short span."

"No! Never! I hate her. She makes my skin crawl. I just told her I wish she had never been born, and I meant it. Yet you show me in the future apparently devoted to her? No, I don't believe it. It's not possible, and there is no way…unless…of course! She went back in time and cast a spell on me! That's the only explanation. That must be what's causing the tangle. Thanos, you have to do something about it!"

"Why? I have no obligation to you. I am merely trying to solve this mystery."

"Well, I just handed you the answer. And maybe it's also wrong when you said it wouldn't be a major event. How do you know? It…it could be in your best interest to stop her."

"Hmm…You did say you wished she had never been born."

"Aye, I did, and God forgive me, but I would never say that about another living soul. But she's so monstrously evil, no good can come of her being around. We would all be better off she'd never been born."

"Curious." He looked away, apparently talking to someone else. "Perhaps that way lies the truth…Yes, I concur." He turned back to her and smiled. "I thank you for your assistance, Wolfsbane." He gestured to an entrance. "You may go now."

Rahne considered her options. If this Thanos was going to send her home, she could warn the professor.

She turned and meekly walked through the door…

….and found herself finishing her step in the kitchen.

Lady Moira was sitting at the table. She turned and smiled. "Hello, Poppet. Back among the living?"

"M'Lady? When did you get here?" Rahne felt disoriented. She was in her street clothes, but the clock on the wall said it was three. Maybe it had been earlier than 3 when she had first come down and she had been too disoriented to see it properly.

Moira stood and put her hands on Rahne's shoulders. "It'll be 'Mummy' soon enough. I don't expect Reverend Craig's legal challenge to survive pictures of your gunshot wounds; the magistrate is no friend of his. Now you sit."

Rahne sat as Moira crossed to the refrigerator.

"Doctor Strange has prescribed a diet for you for the next few days," Moira said as she poured some apple juice. "And we're going to follow it, no arguments."

"Aye, no arguments there. And in truth, I only have myself to blame. Serves me right, for not listening to her."

Moira put the glass down in front of Rahne. "Who are you talking about?"

"Illyana," Rahne said. She drank some of the juice. "She told me not to have any orange juice but I wouldn't listen. She may be an evil demon, but she knows what she's talking about."

"Who's Illyana?"

"What do you mean-"

Professor X's voice sounded in her mind: "Rahne would you please join me in my study?"

"Right there, Professor." She gulped down rest the apple juice and left the kitchen. As she crossed the living room, Roberto came out of the study.

Rahne rushed to him and threw her arms around him. "Oh, 'Berto. I'm sorry it has to end like this. But you were a great friend." She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Roberto sounded confused. "Yeah…I have to go."

"Of course." She frowned as he went out the front door; she caught a glimpse of a limo.

She entered the study. Professor X was sitting behind the desk, and Doctor Strang was standing at the window as before.

Weird.

Rahne said, "Doctor Strange?"

Strange turned and smiled. "Hello, Rahne. You're looking well."

"Yes, I feel better." She turned to the professor. "Professor, I wanted to say I understand your decision and I will abide by it. You'll never hear from me again. I will never apologize to Illyana, but I was hoping I could say-"

Professor X asked, "Who?"

"Sorry?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"Wh—Illyana. Magik. You expelled me after I had a fight with her just now."

"I certainly would," the professor said, "if I thought the situation was serious enough, but I haven't expelled you, and I have never heard of this Illyana. Is she one of your friends in town?"

Moira entered behind Rahne. "She mentioned an Illyana to me. Something about orange juice."

"Yeah," Rahne, said. "She said I shouldn't have orange juice. I didn't listen, and I ended up throwing up a blob." She turned to Strange. "You were there!"

Doctor Strange came forward. "No, I wasn't. But how would she know you shouldn't have orange juice? Did I tell her after we got home last night? I could have and forgot."

"No, because she's a witch like you," Rahne said. "She took me to limbo and performed an exorcism that went all haywire. And I haven't met you before today. What do you mean about last night?"

"Rahne," Strange said softly, "you never left Earth. I helped Charles excise the Cloak and Dagger energies from yourself and Roberto DaCosta. I've never heard of an Illyana."

"Well, maybe you know her as Magik or the Darkchilde," Rahne cried. "Illyana Rasputin, Colossus' baby sister! She's a witch and you know the professor, so surely you must know of her."

"Rahne," Professor X said quietly, "Peter has no sister. He's never had a sister."

Rahne went pale as realization finally dawned. "Oh. Oh, no." She turned and ran out the door. "No, no, no! Thanos, tell you me you didn't!"

Doctor Strange overheard her and arched his eyebrows. "Thanos!?"

Rahne vaulted up the stairs. She turned down the hall and found Illyana's room, but the door was bereft of her custom warning stickers. She pushed the door open. The room was empty—no bed, no furniture, nothing on the walls.

"No!" Rahne choked. She started crying. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" She fell against the wall and slid to the floor.

Professor X entered the room. "I hope you'll forgive me, but I took the liberty of doing a psi-scan of your recent memories."

"S'ok. You would have found out sooner or later."

Professor X sat down against the wall next to her. "You should know the consequences of your actions," he said quietly.

"Kitty's gone. I'm guessing she's in the Hellfire Club, because Illyana wasn't here to lead the rescue."

The professor nodded. "The X-Men attempted a rescue, but by then it was too late. You should also know that you and Roberto were the sole survivors of your team."

"What happened?"

"The Demon Bear. You tried to protect Danielle at the hospital, but it was a massacre."

"Because Illyana wasn't there to use her magic."

Images formed in her mind's eyes as the professor narrated: "We thought she had been killed by the bear, but instead she was absorbed into it, and you sensed that through your psychic link. That's part of the reason you and Roberto were spared. Working together, you, me, and Danielle were able to make the bear lower its defenses, and that gave Storm, Thor, and Doctor Strange the opportunity to strike. It was destroyed, but at a cost. Danielle died in your arms. After that, you returned home to Scotland. Then a few days ago, Moira called said you had disappeared. We traced you and Roberto and found you had been possessed by Cloak and Dagger's powers. Doctor Strange, the X-Men, and I, exorcised them. That brings us up to date."

Rahne's tears kept flowing. "And the school? Who's on the team now?"

"No one. The school is closed; the New Mutants have been disbanded. I will never again take on new students-"

"You can't!" Rahne blurted. "I'm sorry, sir, but there are so many young mutants who need you-"

"Like Illyana did? You took that away from her."

"I…I didn't…" She trailed off.

"Actions, and words, have consequences, Rahne. You have to live with them. Moira is waiting for you downstairs." He got up to leave the room.

"Funny," Rahne said. "As much as she scared me, I always wanted to see Selene's face when Illyana brought out the soulsword."

"Who do you think would have won that confrontation?"

Rahne smiled through her tears. "I'd bet on our witch every time."

Professor X smiled, nodded, and left the room. Rahne rested her head on her knees and let herself cry.

"Strange," Thanos' voice said, "how one life can touch so many, even the lives of individuals who claim to be adversaries."

Rahne raised her head and found herself sitting against the wall in the Infinity Well chamber.


	3. Chapter 3

Rahne got to her feet. "You bloody wanker! None of that was real, was it?"

"On the contrary," Thanos said. "You wanted a world in which Magik had never been born. I recreated reality without her in it. It is quite real, and you can spend the rest of your days there."

Rahne wiped her tears. "I spoke in haste, and I was cruel. I see that now. Now please, restore her."

"No."

"WHAT?"

"As I have already said, I am under no obligation to you. My interest is purely scientific."

"'Scientific'? You've already meddled. You must set things right!"

"You are trying my patience, Wolfsbane."

Rahne took a deep breath. "You said this mystery isn't effecting the grand scheme of things. What if you're wrong? You've already said you can't see what's causing it. What if Illyana's absence ultimately poses an existential threat to the universe? It would be in your best interests to bring her back."

"There is merit to that argument. However, even for one with power infinite, the removal of a being from existence is no small thing, and I did it on your advice. Someone must pay the price, and that will not be me."

"I see," Rahne said. "In that case, let the price be my life. Erase me from existence, make it so I've never been, as long as you bring her back. She'd be better off not knowing I had ever existed."

"Are you certain? You don't even like her."

"That doesn't matter. It's the right thing to do. She's still one of God's creatures. She deserved a chance at life, and I took it away from her. I have to pay for it."

"I see. And if I determine some other punishment is more appropriate, will you submit yourself to it?"

"Yes, Thanos. Anything. I'll endure absolutely anything as long as you bring Illyana back. Please."

"Very well, Wolfsbane. The die has been cast." A portion of wall rippled, and a passage opened. Thanos pointed at it. "Through that portal, your punishment awaits, unimaginable torment for the rest of your days."

"And Illyana will live again."

"No one will ever know she was gone."

"Thank you, Thanos."

"Farewell, Wolfsbane. We shall not meet again. Oh, and thank you for helping me solve my mystery."

"You know what caused all this, then?"

"I believe I do. Now, be on your way before I change my mind."

Rahne's heart was pounding, but she steeled herself and headed down the corridor…

…and found herself entering the kitchen again. She was still in her night clothes. The clock on the wall still said 3. And Illyana was sitting at the table, wearing sunglasses, that foul drink in front of her.

Illyana moved her head slightly. "Hey, Rahne."

Rahne went to stand by Illyana, unable to take her eyes off the witch. She couldn't say anything, just stare at the sorceress with tears dribbling out of her eyes.

Illyana looked up. "Rahne?" No answer. Illyana climbed to her feet. "Are you all right?"

Rahne couldn't helped herself. She snatched Illyana into a hug, resting her head on Illyana's shoulder.

Illyana couldn't keep the amazement out of her voice: "What…what brought this on?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Rahne said. "And I don't care, as long as you're here. You can scare me all you want as long as you don't ever go away." She gave the witch a kiss on the cheek and returned her head to Illyana's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little…." She trailed off.

"That's ok," Illyana said, "especially as I have no idea what you're talking about and my brain is still mush. But…" And she hesitantly returned the hug. "…coming from you that's the nicest thing you've ever said. Thank you. It means a lot." After a second, she kissed Rahne's cheek and settled into holding Rahne.

Rahne smiled. "Hey, I can't be fire and brimstone all the time. That kind of preaching can really wipe you out."

"I guess you'd know, wouldn't you?"

"Aye."

They finally disengaged. Rahne wiped her cheeks and said, "So what's with the sunglasses?"

"Oh, I'm going to be light sensitive for a few more hours."

"Because of the church?"

"And all the work I did there, but even with the hallowed ground thing, I shouldn't be this ripped. I must be out of shape." She picked up her glass, drank some, and made a face. "Ugh. Belasco used to have these 'spell-offs.' He'd read spell names from one of his grimoires and have me cast them, one after another" – she snapped her fingers—"boom, boom, boom, rapid fire, and when I got tired he'd throw me some curve balls…" She paused and considered. "…it's hard to explain, like, two spells with similar names and if you weren't paying attention you would cast the wrong one. Or other tricky things like that, like trick questions on math. I never got one wrong. But then I would have a headache for a week." Another mouthful. "But now…two exorcisms, a couple stepping disk transports, and hallowed ground which, to be honest, was blessed kind of haphazardly, and I'm done. My brother makes it look easy."

"And that stuff you're drinking?"

"S'Ym's patented demonic energy drink. He swears by it." She drank some more and grimaced. "But my soul is three fifths demon and so is my metabolism, so I need something like this to help recharge my batteries."

"So your evil side likes it?"

"No, she thinks it tastes worse than the human side does. She's thinking right now baptism would be preferable to drinking more of this gunk."

"I am a lay minister. Shall we use the bathtub?"

Illyana chuckled. "Ah, no. Thanks anyway."

"You're welcome." She thought for a moment. This rare moment of peace might not last, but she thought she should make the most of it, especially if it planted the seed for the future. "Can our stomachs take some tea?"

"Tea?"

"Tea. You lived with Lady Moira for a time. Have you forgot we practically inhale the stuff?"

"No. Yeah, we can have tea, if it's not too strong. And not made with holy water."

"I'll put the kettle on." Rahne busied herself at the kitchen counter.

Illyana sat at the table. "Rahne, did you hit your head last night? Because this isn't like you at all. What's really going on?"

After a moment, Rahne turned to face Illyana. "Ask me in ten years."

"Ten years?"

"Aye. If in ten years, you form your own team and ask me to join, I'll tell you all about it."

"Oh-kay."

Rahne turned back to the stove. "Those spell-offs remind me of Reverend Craig's Bible study classes. His star pupil I was, or so he said, so of course-"

Professor X's voice sounded in their minds: "Pardon the intrusion. Rahne, will you please join me in my study?"

Rahne hesitated. "Uh…"

Illyana climbed out of her chair. "I'll keep an eye on the kettle."

"You sure?"

"I remember how Moria liked her tea. I've got this."

"In that case, I'll be right back."

Roberto left the study as she crossed the living room.

Rahne smiled at him. "Clean bill of health?"

"Yeah," he moaned. "I'm going back to bed."

"Have a good rest, Luv."

Rahne pushed open the door to the study and closed them without being asked. As before, Professor X was sitting behind his desk and Strange was at the window.

Rahne said, "Doctor Strange?"

He turned around. "Yes, Rahne, although I don't think we've met."

"We haven't…exactly. But you're going to use the Eye of Agawhatsis to make sure I'm ok?"

"Agamotto. Yes."

"All right, then. Fire away!"

Strange looked at the professor and pointed at Rahne. "That's the girl you warned me about? Your resident witch hater?"

"Yes," Xavier said, "the New Mutants' scholar on Exodus 22:18."

"Excuse me," Rahne said, "but could we move this along? I left Illyana in charge of the kettle, and no way I'm trusting a Russian to make a proper pot of tea."

Strange's eyebrows flicked up. He said, "All right then."

8

8

"…and then the kettle started shaking, and there were little flames cutting out the top," Illyana said, laughing, as Rahne giggled. They were sitting at the table with tea cups in front of them. "I backed up and said, 'Belasco, is it supposed to be doing that?' And he put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Perhaps we should give it some space.' And then I noticed S'Ym and C—the cat demon were almost out the door!"

Rahne could barely talk. "Oh, no! It blew up, didn't it?"

"Lovely little mushroom cloud," Illyana said. "Of course he shrugged it off: 'I never liked this room so I get a chance to rebuild.'"

"'I knew this was going to happen!'"

"Something like that. And I was like, 'Ok, I'm not going to ask him about fairy tale witches anymore.' So the moral of the story is I'm not your go-to girl for magic potions, but if we ever need it, I can cast a shield in nothing flat. That could come in handy." She sipped her tea. "And oddly enough, he never tested me on casting shields, even though he'd said he would."

"Gee, I wonder why?"

Their laughter quieted.

Illyana said, "Ok, Rahne, your turn."

"Ooh. That's a tough act to follow. Let me think…"

"Oh. My. God." Kitty Pryde's voice sounded behind them. Illyana and Rahne turned to see a gaggle of X-Men and New Mutants had crowded into the kitchen door. "I thought Professor X was pulling my leg," Kitty went on.

"Who are you," Dani gawked, "and what have you done with the real Magik and Wolfsbane?"

"Yes," Peter Rasputin said from behind Dani. "Logan, who are these miscreants? Because Rahne and my little Snowflake never got along this well."

Wolverine made his way to the table and sniffed. "Looks like them. Smells like them. I don't know, Pete. Maybe there's some telepathic manipulation going on."

Bobby peaked through the crowd. Then he turned and shambled away. "World ending. Wake me when it's over."

Rahne said, "What's the matter with all of you? Can't a witch and a werewolf have a cup of tea without an audience?"

A "bamf!" announced Nighcrawler's appearance perched on one of the other chairs. "Don't you two hate each other?" he asked.

"We're not the closest of friends," Rahne said, "and have our issues. That's not the same thing. Now, do you all mind?"

"Yes," Illyana said, "because Rahne has to tell a story."

"Ooh. I was hoping you'd forget that."

"Not a chance."

Kitty said, "Ok, I'm going to the danger room. Anyone who wants some nice normal mayhem, follow me."

As the onlookers started to drift away, Rahne said, "Well, one time when I was 11, there was a coffee morning after services and at the last moment, all the ladies who were supposed to do it cancelled, so it was all on me. And did I mention all the elders of the church would be there? Not related to your elder gods, understand, but still scary…"

Professor X and Doctor Strange stood in the door to the study, overhearing the voices and laughter from the kitchen.

Professor X said, "Well, what do you know? Peace in our time."

"Détente is a beautiful thing," Doctor Strange affirmed.

"Rahne's memories explain the time distortion you felt."

"Uh-huh. But never in a million years would I have cast Thanos as Clarence Odbody."

"Who?"

"The angel from 'It's a Wonderful Life.'"

"I still haven't seen it, Stephen. Perhaps I should have it for movie night."

"I wouldn't, Charles. I hate it when there are people in the audience who nit-pick."

THE END


End file.
